The European Commission has announced a major €138 million funding and investment package targeting public health resilience and medical manufacturing across Africa and Latin America. Unveiled during the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week, the initiative forms a key component of the EU’s broader Global Health Resilience Initiative, which was formally adopted in May 2026.
The package channels capital into three distinct, high-impact regional projects: €63.5 million in EU guarantees dedicated to private health and nutrition investments across Sub-Saharan Africa; a €15 million European Investment Bank venture loan supporting biotechnology expansion in Colombia; and a €60 million investment package aimed at strengthening primary health care infrastructure in Ethiopia.
A cornerstone of the new package is an agreement signed with Cardano Development to launch the First Mover Health Investors Fund. Backed by an EU guarantee of €63.5 million, the vehicle is structured to mobilize approximately €150 million in private and institutional capital directed toward “growth-stage” health and nutrition enterprises throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.
The fund targets critical operational areas that have historically faced funding constraints in developing markets. These include infant and maternal nutrition, the localized manufacturing of essential medicines, medical devices, and consumables, as well as innovations in health care delivery systems. The backing is delivered through the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+), an established EU financial instrument designed to leverage guarantees to de-risk and encourage private sector investment in emerging economies.
In Latin America, the European Investment Bank (EIB) is stepping in with a €15 million venture loan to Colombian biotechnology firm VaxThera. The funding represents the initial tranche of a financing commitment of up to €35 million, heavily backed by the Commission. The capital will directly support construction and infrastructure development for the second phase of VaxThera’s commercial-scale manufacturing facility, significantly boosting regional capacity for vaccine and biological medicine production. Furthermore, up to €1.5 million in dedicated technical assistance will be deployed to accelerate the research and development pipeline for three distinct vaccine candidates targeting infectious diseases.
Meanwhile, in East Africa, the Commission has finalized a €60 million investment package developed in close coordination with Ethiopian authorities. This funding is designed to drastically improve the accessibility, equity, and quality of primary health care services across underserved communities. Resources will be channeled into the construction, rehabilitation, and advanced outfitting of healthcare infrastructure, alongside critical interventions in water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH), nutrition, and programs addressing gender-based violence.
To ensure remote regions are not left behind, the EU’s support will also facilitate the expansion of digitally enabled health insurance services. Additional components of the Ethiopian package prioritize specialized biomedical training, domestic research, and healthcare innovation.
The latest announcement underscores the European Union’s ongoing financial commitment to global health security and regional self-sufficiency. Between 2021 and 2025, the EU successfully mobilized more than €6 billion in global health funding. Within that broader envelope, over €2 billion has been directed through the Global Gateway strategy specifically toward establishing regional manufacturing hubs for vaccines, medicines, and cutting-edge health technologies across the African continent.
By pairing public development funds with strategic financial guarantees, the European Commission aims to foster long-term structural resilience, reduce reliance on external supply chains, and equip partner nations in Africa and Latin America to better anticipate and respond to future public health crises.
